VW never officially sold Vanagon Dokas (Double Cab) in the U.S., but as today’s Nice Price or Crack Pipe contender proves, they’re desirable enough to warrant a DIY effort. Will this one’s present price prove equally desirable?
Yesterday we looked at a 2001 Cadillac Eldorado ETC, a classy coupe that, nonetheless, couldn’t generate much interest amongst all of you. Add to that many warnings peppering the comments about the potential problems the car’s Northstar V8 might encounter and there wasn’t much hope for the seller’s $10,999 asking price. In the end, the Eldorado didn’t go for the gold, falling instead in a 63 percent No Dice loss.
For those of you new here and are gazing in wide wonder at today’s 1987 Volkswagen T3 Doka while questioning who took a saw to the back-half of that poor Vanagon, don’t worry, it’s a factory job.
This T3 is a double cab work truck, sort of Germany’s version of our F-150 pickup. That’s earned the model the name DoppelKabine (Doka for short) and most are three-door, rubber-floor, get the job done and go get a beer, non-nonsense affairs.
This one sports traffic cone orange paint and, according to the sparsely-worded ad, over 200,000 miles on the clock. With what looks to be a non-turbo diesel under the floor in the back, you can probably imagine those miles took an eternity to pile up.
But pile up they have, and amazingly, this Doka doesn’t look totally shit-shorn for having exercised its odometer so aggressively. The bodywork is relatively straight and there doesn’t appear to be anything more than surface rust anywhere on the truck.
Being a forward-control truck means this is an incredibly space-efficient workhorse. You get a roomy cabin with seating for six, with a six-foot bed behind that. It doesn’t stop there either. Unlike your traditional American pickup trucks, the Doka has gates that fold down on three sides and an under-the-bed storage space behind the cab, just like Rivian RT.
Of course, that utility comes at a price. There is a total lack of civility and accessory to be had here. Still, if you’re cool with vinyl seats (save for that GTI driver’s perch), rubber floor coverings, and no A/C, then this might be the truck for you. As noted, the seller doesn’t give us much to go on here, stating only:
Great daily driver 2WD with a diesel pusher. More details coming soon. Not interested in any trades. Thanks for looking!
Hey, you’re welcome, Doka dude or Doka dudette! There may be more info coming soon, but you know what? We’re in a hurry. We’ll just have to assume that the engine is the typical-for-the-model 1.9 liter oil burner and that with 200K on the odo things like the timing belt, clutch, and brake pads have all been cycled through at least once. The ad does note that the title is clear. That’s a recent innovation on Facebook Marketplace, the most craptacular classified ad venue on the planet.
What we also get from the ad is that this Doka’s price is $15,500. And, since it’s being offered with that clean title in Florida, we can assume that all the pesky paperwork needed to bring it into the country has already been done.
What’s your take on this truck and its $15,500 price tag? Is that a deal to get your Doka on? Or, for that much, is this a work truck with a price that’s just not working for you?
You decide!
Facebook (or is it now Mentos?) Marketplace out of Navarre, Florida, or go here if the ad disappears.
H/T to phalvorson for the hookup!
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